I have a 12x18 sheet cake, iced with cream cheese frosting. I have a shell border around the cake and in the right hand side I have attached a 5x7 black and white picture, it has a tiny bead border around it. On the left hand side I have wrote "Happy Anniversary Mama and Daddy" I wrote it in cream cheese then painted it gold, it's their 50th. Well, let's just say it looks awful! I have an hour to do something with it. I can't do roses or they will be white on the cream cake! What in this world can I do? I really want this to look nice, but instead it looks like a $10.00 Bakery Student decorating for the first time cake! Please help.

I know you don't have alot of time, but is it possible to post a pic of it real quick? If we can see it, we can get a better idea of how to help

paint beads on photo gold ...to simulate gold frame....consider increasing size of all borders too so not so "lost" vs. size of cake.

and scroll work above/below photo and message?

sotas lace?

tone on tone (white on cream) can be very pretty...especially if you touch up edges of rose w/ gold.

over pipe borders w/ string work?

add more gold accents (borders)

(a photo of what you have done so far would really help.)

My camera just when to town in the vechile, hopefully it will be right back in a minute.

Okay, I have never tried the lace, but could I do that in the cream cheese, even after tha I done wrote on the cake? Maybe I will paint the picture border gold too.

yes, lace can be added even after the writing. you may want to pipe a border around writing that matches one around pic. then just fill in the vast expanse of cake w/ the sotas (as series of cursive r's and printed s's is the way I was taught -- cute squiggles is easier to remember and do)

I can't figure out how to post here so I'll add it to my photos, the second you can see where it is now cracking and getting air bubbles! Please help me?

I think the cake is beautiful and I'm sure your parents will love it. The idea of adding gold to enhance a frame-love is a good one. Other than that I wouldnt add anything - too much busy work will take away from the cake.

Ok..I was considering something bad from your description....its not bad at all..very pretty!
I would suggest maybe an oval bead border around the writing and then cornelli lace everywhere else...it would go with the theme and cover up any cracks.

Okay, an oval border around the writing, it is larger then the picture. Is that giong to look okay? Paint the border and do lace as a filler?

I think your cake is very pretty.

I would agree with making the bead border around the picture gold as well.

Otherswise, I don't think I'd do anything, you run the risk of making the cake too busy.

Don't fret, you have a beautiful cake that I'm sure your parents will love.

I really like the idea of adding a little more gold to the borders, just to tie it all together.

I would think it would look okay, but I'm not an expert at these things...
I'm bumping you up to get more opinions..

its too bad you didn't have an air brush you could make it look like old paper. and color the cracks a darker brown with a tan background. othere than that it actually looks pretty good. do you have other small pictures you could use of them or pictures of there lives. that might help cover them . just a suggestion.

besides your paretns will be touched by the fact that you made it yourself, and thats whats always important to them. don't worry

to help you visualize:

and boy do I wish my shell borders were as nice as yours!!!

can you do "dry brush" technique -- very little liquid in brush and then lightly drawn over surface? -- doing that in gold on your shells would just highlight the ridges in them...a really nice effect for the borders

Love your idea Doug! It would create a perfect color balance and maybe do the beads around the picture frame the same way...ties it all together in about 3 minutes flat!

i just wanted to tell you that your cake is pretty, i do see what you mean about adding a little something else--good luck with what you have decided since i'm late to this post & i feel sure you've done something by now--ALSO YOUR BORDER IS AMAZING & TO KNOW YOU DID IT WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING ---WOW

I think Doug's idea is fabulous! Please post the finnished cake! Good luck!

I'd go with Doug's GREAT idea with the lace, and I think it is cracking because you don't have enough support under it..... I"m guessing you are just using a cardboard cake board.... use a foam board, or tray or something more sturdy........ ( been there, done that ).... Other than that, it is BEAUTIFUL !!

Hey, that shell border is nice! What tip did you use for it?

Theresa

Do you have any of the gold dust? I don't really know what it is called, it is super fine...like powder. I dip a small, soft DRY flat paint brush in it...tap it off REALLY well and then very lightly run it across the top of your borders, I also use this to tip my roses and leaves...it's very pretty. Just make sure you tap the brush really well otherwise you can get speckles. The end result is so worth the effort.

Well guys I have it up! The finished cake. I was able to doctor it and it only took about 5 minutes. First try at lace, so keep that in mind. It actually wasn't for my parents, if it had been I wouldn't have been worried about it. They're used to eating the mess ups. It' s actually for a freind of my mothers, her parents are celebrating their 50th.
Thank you guys so much! I was panicing this morning. Thank you, Katie

YDG! RG!

and all the frettin' for nuttin'

Oh, I forgot! Thanks for the compliants on the shells. I took me forever to learn to do a shell. Everyone kept telling me how easy they were and finally after about a year of trying I got it! I think I used a 18 or 20, the tip is from Bakery Crafts. I love there tips and the bags are wonderful! Thanks